Ford Freestar Transmission Problems

Comments

I do plan to file a complaint with NHTSA. I will have my van back today. The whole transmission had to be rebuilt. Several other problems were found. I plan to file as soon as I get the paperwork on everything that needed replacing.

If you felt that you family or your safety was in jeopardy, please make sure that Ford understands the peril you felt. I would also ask for documentation that the conversation took place, or have some kind of record. I have many emails that I sent to the Ford Customer Service.

Ford needs to assist so many with the repair bills for these vehicles. Hope Ford is placed first in the hall of shame!

Bought my Mercury Monterey on 3-28-05 with 9521 miles on it! In December of 2007 the transmission went out. Had it towed to the Mercury dealer I bought it from with 49,326 miles on it. I knew I was over factory warranty, but I had bought extended warranty thru the dealer. Dealership asked me if I had run the car into high water as the car had water in tranny! I said absolutley not. Extended warranty people said they would not cover the tranny as it had water in tranny. Ford in turn said they would cover 1500.00 and I would have to pay 1197.28! I mentioned that there was a possible problem with the tranny vent location letting water in! On my repair bill there is a note that says they relocated the vent! I took the extended warranty people to small claims court and got 1100.00 refund plus court costs. The reman tranny they put in had a 12 month warranty or 12,000 miles! Well at 79,000 miles (6-11-10) I had my scheduled oil change and the tranny oil changed (30,000 miles on reman tranny)! Had my car computor checked for codes! Well wouldn't you know a tranny problem come up for 2nd shift! Mercury was traded on 6-14-10! I have bought Fords or Mercury's since the 60's! No more!!! Ford can take a hike! I will be giving Ford some real good advertisment!!!

I tried to go to the link yet I could not. I am newest victim of the FORD faulty Torque Converter. On the way home from church this afternoon it went out leaving my wife and children stranded while I was working out of town. Is Ford going to stand behind their product as this is a common problem? It looks like even thou I will get it repaired tomorrow that it will only happen again as other owners are having continued problems. Who do I need to contact in order to help out the cause for us Freestar owners?

Minn. Judge, I've been on here for 2 yrs. this Nov. NO PROGRESS. I still own FORD'S piece of junk! Only waiting for trans. to go again. I want to travel 97 miles to my sister's home, and scared to cause of this undependable piece of crap..... We need a tune up on our van, but don't want to invest another 10 cents on it! never knowing when trans. going out AGAIN. So all the best of luck to you in any contacts. It's been waste of time for us. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

This the response that I received from Ford about them making this issue right, "The dealership has made an assessment based upon Ford warranty and policy. They are in the best position to determine the amount of assistance that will be provided. In this case, the dealer offered some assistance and we encourage you to speak with the Service Manager/Customer Relations Manager in regards to their decision in this matter."

From what I have found out about the PMC is that it gets wet from poor drainage just above it. When it gets wet you can loose reverse, engine will stall or not run at all. Also will make the van feel like it has a miss. Which my van did all of these. The fix is to replace the PMC which can be picked up 395.00 from autozone. Have mechanic put a cover over the PMC's plug so that new PMC will not get wet. I did mine in 3 hours. 550.00 to 700.00 should be the charge for the PMC and install. Also some think that the PMC which controls the engine and the transmission when it is wet it is shifting the transmission improperly putting extra stress on the torque converter which may be the cause it to fail. Also put amsoil in transmission it will help.

Great family trip comes to an end unhappily as we drove up an incline in our 2004 Ford Freestar. Go to pass a truck, press on the gas.......tachometer revs up but car is actually coasting (at least that's what it feels like).

Since we are going up a good incline, I use whatever momentum I have to pull over. Barely make it over to the side but the driver's side door is precariously close to the roadway.

After several near misses with passing traffic, I try everything.....reverse, drive, neutral.....nothing. Care doesn't even appear to come out of park, won't roll back down the hill (at least one good thing).

Highway motorcycle patrol arrives. tells me I can't be there and a "wrecker" is on the way. get towed. it's late on a Sunday so no shop is open, vehicle has to be stored.

I called the guy at the transmission place and once I describe the vehicle (make,model,year), he chuckles and says, I can almost guarantee you I already know the problem. Yup, he's seen this many times before. and now that I've looked on the internet, I see it too! I tell the guy I hope it's something else (like maybe a linkage). He says don't count on it.

well, it's the transmission. rebuild or new (I just have to get this vehicle back home from 450 miles away). Family is unhappy with Ford. I AM UNHAPPY WITH FORD.

I have owned Fords since my 1995 Windstar. I service all my cars religiously at the dealer. The Windstar was simply sold because repair costs (flagged as concerns by the shop) kept increasing and I was told, it's just an "old car." So I go buy two more Fords. This Freestar and the transmission failure is the last straw. The shop had the vehicle 2 weeks before the failure and after its "report card" gave it a clean bill and blessed us on our trip. I've never had a vehicle of any kind leave us on the side of the road like this, that's why I keep them properly serviced. I have my records too.

I'm done with Ford. the car will be repaired but I am going to see if I can trade it in and get back at least what I've dumped into a rebuilt transmission. 76k and the transmission fails despite 2 weeks prior the dealer said the car was ok, ridiculous.

We had a Windstar too and nothing ever went wrong with it. So we bought the 2004 Freestar in 2006. It's not the transmission...but the torque converter. It went on us twice now. The first time was when we were at 79,000 and now again a couple a months ago at 130,000. Something really needs to get done about this. I just find it hard to believe no one can help us.

NO ONE CARES....I BEEN ON HERE 2 YEARS, AS SAID BEFORE. TOO BAD WE DIDNT BUY TOYATOS...LEAST THEY HAVE RECALLS. NEVER OWN NOTHER FORD.(F--FIX OR REPAIR DAILY).. I SEEN A FORD WITH LEMON SIGN ON IT...WILL DO SAME. WE'VE TOLD EVERYONE WE COME IN CONTACT WITH HOW UNFAIR FORD IS!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

I have an idea: let everyone that has posted on this forum that has experienced transmission problems inundate Ford Motor Co by phone and letter as well as NHTSA and Center for Auto Safety not once but daily and let's see if we can get something going. I am 73 years old and I fear that my tranny will go out a second time. I would get rid of my van but I can't afford to.Let me hear from all of you!!!!

Why the lack of press on Ford? Because Ford is suppose to be the golden child on how an American auto company can turn around. Press don't want to ruin their image. Afterall, we need to buy American...oh..I mean Canadian.

I'd be interested to do a poll to see how many of the folks who have had multiple torque converter failures have gotten their vans fixed at the Ford dealer vs. independent shops. My independent shop did everything but totally assure me that my converter shouldn't fail again because he uses a "heavy duty" torque converter and that the folks who have had re-failures have those re-failures because they're getting the same faulty part from Ford. So here's my question to everyone: of those of you who have had more than one failure, where did you get it fixed? I'm hoping what my transmission guy told me is true.

I didn't use Ford. I went to a transmission shop in town. They use the heavy duty too. I wouldn't go to Ford because I thought they would replace it with the same type and didn't want the problem again.

Yes, mine was a re-failure. Ours first went at 79,900 miles. The replacement by Ford lasted 50,000 miles and it just went again about two months ago. My husband is a heavy equip diesel mechanic and we fixed it ourselves this time. We did use another Ford torque converter so we'll see how long it'll last.

I have a 2005 Ford Freestar with about 103,000 miles on it. Just dropped off the kids and was driving on I-4 about 45-50 mph when the van hesitated. I was just moving into the fast lane when I pushed down on the gas pedal and nothing! I had no acceleration at all! I quickly looked into my rearview mirror as cars were rushing around me...I pushed on my emergency lights and tried to coast off of the interstate and down a ramp and then ended up in the middle of an intersection where some nice people pushed me into a parking lot! Very scary. Now Ford tells me it is my torque convertor and will run about $2200 or more. This is my 2nd Ford van and it will be my last!!!

For those interested, I'm complaint # 10283719 at NHTSA. I would encourage anyone driving a Ford Freestar 2005 with a transmission problem to file a complaint with NHTSA. My 2005 Freestar's trany died at 133,000 km ((82,460 miles) without warning in my driveway. I was lucky as many of the complaints I've read (either on the NHSTA website or at www.aboutautomobiles.com/Complaint/2005/Ford/Freestar/Automatic+Transmission) recount stories of people suddenly without power on busy highways or expressways.

Now I'm taking Ford Canada to Small Claims Court here in Montreal, Canada; my court date is July 14, 2010. I'm looking for a current or ex-Ford mechanic who'd be willing to testify on my behalf. I found a current Ford mechanic at Justanswer.com, however he won't testify for fear of losing his job. And when I asked the dealership where I bought the car for the name and telephone number of its ex-Service manager, I got nowhere.

I'd also like to hear from people who have taken Ford court in the USA or Canada. Their experiences may be very helpful in case.

Already filed my NHTSA complaint for the Freestar with 71,000 miles. I am looking for advice on how to narrow the problem between Torque Converter and Tranny. Took it to the Ford dealer and he says tranny (without disassembly) and $4500. I don't know whether he measured pump pressure or what but I don't trust them because they let their mechanics up sell the customer. The car generates no codes at all but like every one else just dropped power to the wheels and hasn't moved on its own since.

We experienced the same problem in Feb 2010, the car would not go forward. We had it towed to the Ford dealer and they installed a new converter. Because the car was beyond warrenty it cost $1500. Now it has happened again yesterday, it is back at the Ford dealer and waiting to hear what the problem is this time.

I had my Freestar towed to the Ford Dealer on Wednesday because it wouldn't go in reverse. I just found out that the PMC needs to be replaced for $925. I had the torque converter replaced in February for $1500, when the car wouldn't go forward. I'm told that once the PMC is replaced that there is an 85% chance that my reverse problem will be solved. I only have 68,000 miles on the car!!

My transmission ended up costing me 1966.27. Once they got into it other parts were worn so I ended up having the transmission rebuilt. Mine wouldn't go into any gear. I hope you don't end up with the same problem. I parked mine in the driveway on a Monday night and got in it Tuesday morning and it would move.